Alphabet Challenge: AAML
by Alyss Ashworth
Summary: 26 oneshots centered around AAML: stories that are full of fun and fluff all the way from Archipelago to Zap.
1. Archipelago

_Hey all my dearly beloved readers! I am back! And I brought some fresh AAML with me :) After reading through Dinobot's EPIC alphabet challenge series, I decided to do one of my own! I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to get through all of these before the end of summer. Now that I don't have my macbook (my school took it back for the summer-*cry*) I can no longer be distracted by the wonders of the internet *_* Hurray! And since I don't have school anymore, I can spend my nights writing fanfiction!...or...wait...I mean I can spend my nights going out and having a life!_

_...Who am I kidding? Most nights I'm probably going to be writing fanfiction -_-; Ah well, such is life. To kick things off, I'm going to be posting TWO chapters! So I hope you enjoy them!_

_Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MY LOVELY BETA READERS Elmo-kibafangirl11 and Eggplantdance. You both gave me such great feedback and advice! *throws you cookies*  
_

**Disclaimer: **I do not in any way, shape, or form own pokemon. Santa obviously didn't read my christmas list thoroughly...

* * *

**Archipelago**

"Go bother someone else," Ash said in a false falsetto voice, trying to mimic his red haired friend. "I know _you're _on vacation, but _I_ have work to do Mr. Pokemon Master! Sheesh..." Ash muttered, kicking off the floor so he spun around in the swivel chair. "And I thought she was bossy when she was _twelve..._"

Ash picked a pencil off of Misty's desk and twirled it with his fingers as he continued rotating. "This is boring!" he moaned. "When I said I wanted to visit her, I didn't think she'd be busy! I thought I'd be learning some cool gym leader secrets by now, not hangin' out in the office." Ash gripped the edge of the desk and gave himself another push. "Although," Ash grinned, starting to feel a bit dizzy, "this _is _rather fun."

Ash was interrupted in his whirling by a soft _ding! _from the computer. The teen almost fell of the chair in his haste to stop himself and look at the computer.

"Speaking of gym leader secrets!" Ash crowed. The subject line of the email was highlighted in red, and Ash knew that Misty coded all of her emails according to who sent them and how important they were. Red meant it was from a gym leader, and it might even contain top secret material!

Most people have common sense enough to respect other people's privacy and not read their mail, digital or otherwise. Ash, however, was inhibited by no such thing. Whatever punishment he may have to face later wasn't equal to the curiosity he had now that was telling him to read the new message. Misty would probably be pissed beyond belief that Ash had opened the confidential email, but he was so _bored _and the subject title: "It's a secret" was more tempting than he could handle.

"Hellloooo freedom from boredom!" Ash cooed at the computer. With a quick click of the mouse, the message opened. "And who are yoouuuu fro-RUDY?"

_Hey Misty!_

_ It's been a while since I heard from you; the whole gym leader job is really demanding huh? You're lucky that all of your sisters are older than you, between taking care of the gym and Marie, I have almost no time to myself! I'm glad I got the chance to read my email though. I was delighted when I saw that I had a message from you ;) Unfortunately, I cannot tell you my secret by email ^_~ It's something that I would have to tell you in person. You should come visit me at Trovita Island! I can tell you my secret, and you can have some time to relax. The archipelago is beautiful in the summer months, though even the sparkling sea and blooming flowers can't rival your natural loveliness :-* And I know I'm not the only one who misses you. Marie asks me at least once a week when you are going to return, and I confess that I am no less anxious to see you. Is it not unreasonable to ask your sisters to see to your gym for a week or two so you can come see us?_

_ Eagerly awaiting your reply,_

_ ~:3 Rudy 3:~_

"What the hell-lllloooo Misty!" Ash slurred as the swivel chair was abruptly yanked around to face a furious red head.

"Ash," Misty growled out from between clenched teeth. "Do you want to explain to me why you were reading my _private _email?"

Though momentarily cowed by the snarling girl that had trapped him in the chair, her hands curled around each of the armrests and nose almost brushing his, the mention of the email brought back some of Ash's indignation and courage. "And do _you _want to explain to me why Rudy is emailing you about some secret, romantic vacation?" He shot back at her.

Misty snorted and rolled her eyes. "Work on your reading skills Ash," she said, "Rudy didn't ask me out on some 'secret, romantic vacation.' I had emailed him to ask about how he was able to teach his starmie thunderbolt, which is apparently some secret he doesn't want to share over email." She shrugged.

"Well, he still asked you to visit Trovita for a vacation, and he put _hearts _by his name," Ash pointed out, pressing into the back of the chair as Misty shifted closer. "How is that not suspicious?"

Misty groaned and hung her head, muttering something that sounded like, "How can you be so preceptive and so _dense_ at the same time?" before she straightened up saying, "Stop freaking out Ash, I'm not going anywhere. I'm way too busy with the gym."

"Like _that__'s _a surprise!" Ash threw himself out of the chair and followed his friend into the kitchen. "You're always busy! Why can't you take some time off or something?"

"So I can visit Rudy?" Misty asked impishly, grabbing the teapot and walking over to the sink to fill it up.

"No," Ash said forcefully, trailing the girl from the sink and back to the stove. "Like, why can't you take time off when I'm around? We never get to hang out anymore!"

"That's rich coming from the boy who's in far off regions for eleven and a half of the twelve months in the year," Misty drawled sarcastically, leaving the water to heat and going back into the front of the gym. She and Ash entered the pool room to chorus of yips, growls, and barks from the pokemon.

Misty rummaged about in the closet, taking out shallow buckets and pressing them into Ash's arms as he spoke.

"Well I'm here now," he complained, awkwardly juggling his cargo. Misty threw a bag of pokefood on top of his load before nudging Ash out of the closet.

"Put them down by the pool's edge," the gym leader instructed. "And I'm sorry I can't just drop everything and entertain you."

"I don't want you to entertain me," Ash frowned, following Misty's example and pouring the food into the dishes. "I just want to...you know...hang together. Do stuff together..."

Misty peeked at the boy from the corner of her eye and smiled at the serious expression that was usually only seen when he was battling. She opened another bag and tossed some food into the water, clucking her tongue twice to call the pokemon to their dinner. Weaving her way through the rush of water pokemon, she made her way to Ash and laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, a bit startled by the sudden contact.

"Fine. If you promise to take a break from your travels and come visit me for a week or two, I promise I'll stop working and 'hang' with you. Deal?" She grinned at him.

Ash nodded, a grin to mirror hers appearing on his face. "Deal," he agreed, shaking her hand.

"Good!" Misty pinched his cheek and laughed as he tried to swat her away. "I miss hanging out with you too."

"My, my." Misty got up to greet the familiar boy who had entered the gym, catching pikachu as he sprang into her arms. "This is the third visit in six months." She giggled as the electric mouse's rough tongue tickled her chin. Misty scratched pikachu's head and turned to smile at his trainer. "I didn't say you had to visit me this frequently. Once or twice a year would have been fine."

"Do you not want me to come?" Ash frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "'Cause I'm paying quite the sum to catch the train back and forth between Kanto and Sinnoh all the time."

"Liar." Misty settled Pikachu on her shoulder so she could tweak Ash's nose. "You take staraptor, which doesn't cost you a cent. But I _do _enjoy having you here," she assured him.

"Good," Ash's face lit up.

"Mmm," Misty placed Pikachu in Ash's arms and walked back into the reception desk to leave a note for Daisy, "Except you better have something fun planned; I could be sun bathing on Trovita Island right now." She looked back at him over her shoulder, eyes sparkling playfully.

"Well," Ash said slowly, "it just so happens that the Marina Group is in Celadon right now, so I was thinking we could go there, see them, and maybe get some dinner afterwards."

"Really?" Misty's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "That would be amazing! I've always wanted to see them!" She gushed delightedly. The girl laughed and gave her friend a quick hug. "Jeez Ash, if I didn't know better I'd call this a date." Just saying the word brought a light blush to her cheeks.

"Um...well...do you want it to be?" He wasn't looking at her, but was instead staring down at Pikachu and playing with his ears.

"Yes," Misty said truthfully, fiddling with the pen that she still held. _Click. Click. Click._

"Well then, it is."

"Well then." Misty moved around the desk and swiftly pecked Ash on the cheek, running up the stairs before he could see her face. "I'll go put on something nice."

Ash was unable to react for a moment, then unfroze enough to shout, "Hurry up then! The show starts in half an hour and we still have to get a taxi!"

"Don't rush me Ketchum!"

"Slowpoke!"

"Twerp!"

_A few days later_

Reply to: It's a Secret

_Hey Rudy,_

_ I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get back to you until __now. You're right, being a gym leader is a really time consuming job! As for coming to visit, I don't think I'll be able to. Someone took the liberty of __booking __all my free time with trips to Sinnoh..._

_

* * *

Not my favorite oneshot that I've ever written, but I'm just getting back into the swing of writing AAML. Chapter two is much better, I promise ;)  
_


	2. Bedroom

_Thanks once more to my awesome beta readers Elmo-kibafangirl11 and eggplantdance. You guys rock my socks...even when I'm not wearing any! :D Quite the accomplishment!_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own pokemon...*snivels*

* * *

**Bedroom**

"Hey Mrs. Ketchum," Brock began hesitantly, "how long have Ash and Misty been in his room?"

"Oh, I don't know." The older woman put a finger to her chin and cocked her head to the side. "Misty got here around nine...and I had asked Ash to make sure his room was properly cleaned before he did anything else...and I believe she went right upstairs to help him..."

"So they've been up there together for _seven hours_?" Brock sputtered. "Aren't...aren't you worried about them?" He asked tentatively. "I know Ash and Misty don't seem to be the sort to, you know, do _stuff_, but they _are _teens and-"

Delia cut him off with a smile and a laugh. "Don't worry about them Brock," she told him soothingly. "It's _because_ it's those two up there that I don't mind," her smile turned slightly mischievous as she tapped her ear and said, "And I've got a mother's hearing too! They'll be fine. Now, would you mind helping me bring up some things from the basement?"

Brock dutifully followed Delia into the basement and assisted in carrying up some old boxes. After depositing his load in the living room, Delia waved him off saying that she could handle going through them herself. Brock drifted about the downstairs, polishing a lamp here, dusting off a cabinet there. He absentmindedly moved through the rooms, concentrating mostly on trying to discern something from the random noises that would drift down the stairs.

"Mrs. Ketchum has always seen Ash as her little boy," Brock thought to himself, "but he has grown up, even if it's just the slightest bit. And I _know _there's tension between Ash and Misty...he may be too shy to do anything, but Misty's been keeping her emotions suppressed for a while now. If they're cooped up together for a long period of time, she might end up jumping him, and what teenage boy could resist a fiery red head throwing herself at him?" Brock shook his head. "None."

With these thoughts in mind, the concerned teen tread softly up the stairs. He crept up to Ash's door which, he noted with a twinge of alarm, was closed. Brock quickly pressed his ear to the wood.

"I can't believe we're doing this!" A vision of Misty giggling and batting her lashes appeared in Brock's mind.

A deep chuckle announced Ash's presence as he said, "I know, it seems kind of incredible to be doing this at our age."

"Oh Mew," Brock thought weakly, legs trembling.

"Mmm," Misty hummed in agreement. "It's been far too long since we've done something like this."

"Far too long?" Brock mouthed silently to himself. Dear Ho-oh! How long had they been sneaking around like this?

"I've missed it too," Ash conceded. "And it just feels weird to do it with anyone else. You're the only one who I like to play with."

"Oh Ash!" There was that giggle again. "You're such a smooth talker!"

Brock didn't wait to hear what Ash would say. He burst through the door, squinting his eyes just in case there was something going on in there that might scar him for life. The sound of the door being thrown open silenced the giggles.

"Whatever you're doing in here, stop okay? You're both way to young for this!" Brock cried out, both trying to see what his friends were doing and hoping to prevent himself from seeing too much.

"Um," Misty's voice was filled with more bubbly laughter, "okay. You know, I thought people would say we're too _old _for this, not too young."

"Nonsense!" Ash scoffed from somewhere to Brock's left. "You are never too old or too young for this kind of thing! I'm always going to love doing this!"

"You're so immature." Brock could hear Misty smiling.

"Who was it that started clapping her hands and jumping up and down when I suggested we do this?" Ash teased back.

"Do _what?_" Brock finally risked opening his eyes.

Ash and Misty were on the floor of the bedroom, Ash lying on his stomach and Misty leaning against the bed. Misty was wearing Ash's old hat he had worn when traveling in Kanto and Johto as well as his old vest. The hat was twisted to the side, her firey locks let down from their usual ponytail so it would stay on her head. Ash was wearing ridiculous looking necklaces that seemed to be made up of all his old badges. Brock saw a blue teardrop badge hanging lower than the rest, resting right over the boy's heart.

Colorful cards were spread out between the teens, two different groups organized in rows in front of both Ash and Misty. They each held more of the same kind of cards in their hands. Some small, colorful stones decorated those on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Brock asked suspiciously, baffled by their outfits and the odd game they appeared to be in the middle of.

"Pokemon," Ash replied easily, turning his attention back to the cards in his hand. He let out a cry of triumph and slapped a new card down on the carpet. "Ha! My nidorina evolves into nidoqueen! And now I'm going to use mega punch on your lapras!"

"No way!" Misty complained, craning her neck to look over her knees. "How come you _always _draw the evolved form of your pokemon? I never get anything more than the basic level!"

"My deck is just more kickass than yours," Ash snickered. "And lapras takes forty points of damage! Which, added to the other damage counters already on it, means it's out of the game!"

"No!" Misty wailed, cuddling the card to her chest. She shot Ash a poisonous look. "How could you _do _that? You used to own a lapras!"

"You're getting way into this game Misty." Ash rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's _just _a card!"

"Says the guy who accused me two minutes ago for using his own pokemon against him when I had my squirtle take down your graveler!" Misty taunted him back.

"You got mad at me when I used a pikachu against your dewgong, protesting that 'my pika-pal would never do that to me!'" Ash waved a finger at her.

"I had a right to be annoyed!" Misty defended herself passionately. "You annihilated like half of my deck with just one pikachu!"

Ash snorted and chucked a damage counter at his friend. "It's not _my_ fault that you only have water pokemon in your deck. Aren't you the one who always tells me to use type differences to my advantage?"

"Yeah, but not against me!" Two more damage counters flew across the battle field to strike Ash in the chest.

Brock shut the door just as pillows and pokemon cards started to fill the air. The older boy rested his head against the wood for a moment or two, listening to the shrieks and thumps that were coming from the room. A soft sigh issued from his lips as Brock straightened up and tromped back down the stairs, joining Delia in the kitchen.

"You're got at least ten years before you even have to _start_ worrying about those two," Brock said dully as he took up a rag and started wiping down the counters. Delia simply laughed and patted his back comfortingly.

* * *

_I would NEVER draw the evolved forms of my pokemon when I played the card game-NEVER! So my brother and I would cheat and make up our own version of the game...my nidoqueen was the shizz :B_

_ALSO- I've typed up chapters three and four (Calcium and Dainty) so now they just have to be edited. Hurray! :)  
_


	3. Calcium

_I'm sorry you guys. I lied to you when I said all of these oneshots were going to be "full of fluff and fun!" This ficlet is actually pretty dark ^^; Which is weird, because I usually don't even like to read stories like this! But, the plot bunnies bit me, and I couldn't get this idea out of my head. To make up for this dark/angsty one, I'm posting two chapters again. That way you'll have at least ONE fluff AAML story :)_

_Thanks to Elmo-kibafangirl11 for beta-ing this for me :D_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own pokemon, and this makes me so sad that I can't think of some snappy line to add to the disclaimer. _  
_

* * *

Calcium

"Come on Bulbasaur, Squirtle. Please, take it!" The grass and water pokemon were trembling, shying away from the hand and the object that was being offered to them. "Please!" The voice was desperate. "Take it!" Again, the pokemon crept farther from the hand, still trembling, still shaking their heads. Misty saw the fear and the confusion glistening in their eyes like tears.

"Ash," Misty whispered quietly. There was no need for her to speak louder; silence had choked the house for days. "What is that?"

His head jerked to where the sound had come from, trembling and wary of the sudden intrusion. Misty's breath caught in her throat. He looked like an animal that had been abused to within an inch of its life. His eyes were red and swollen, a tribute to the tears that were dried on his cheeks. His hair was that of a wild man': untamed and unwashed for days. His whole body was shaking, rattling in the loose, dirty clothing that hung on his frame. One hand was clutched to his chest, trying to hold in the broken pieces of his heart that threatened to pierce his chest with each painful thump. The other was extending what looked like a white pill out towards his pokemon.

"Ash, Ash what is that?" Misty ran forward and jerked the pill from the boy's grip. Ash let her take it, his eyes falling to stare at the floor.

"Ash!" Misty's voice had an edge of hysteria to it now. "What were you thinking? Don't you know this is illegal?" She quickly stood and threw the white tablet on the ground. The red head raised her foot high and brought it down, smashing the pill until it was only a fine powder.

Ash winced with each slam of her foot. "No," he finally choked out, watching her kick away the dust. "No! Stop! I have to save them!" He scrambled across the floor, fruitlessly trying to gather the remaining particles.

"Ash! You can't give your pokemon Calcium!" Misty crouched down and held Ash by the shoulders, shaking him until he looked at her. "It's not only illegal, it's extremely dangerous! Those kinds of drugs do awful things to pokemon!" Tears ran down her cheeks. "Do you really want more of your pokemon to get hurt?"

"No!" Ash shrieked, covering his ears with his hands and curling in on himself. "They-they have to take it! My pokemon must be strong! They're too weak, too fragile. They have to be the strongest, the best! No! No, no, no, no, no." He was sobbing, rocking back and forth.

"Oh Ash." Misty gathered the broken boy into her arms. "Ash," she cried again, stroking his matted hair. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry about what happened! It's painful-" she stopped to take a shaky breath, "it's painful for me too. I know that you must feel one thousand times worse, but please. Don't do this kind of thing." She clung to him, trying to transfer the warmth in her breast into the cold body of her friend. "Don't make me hurt more than I already do. Don't scare me like this. Please."

"Misty." A small croak came from the body that she was crushing. Slowly, two arms wrapped around her waist. They hung there loosely for a moment before Ash was crushing Misty back. He sobbed into her shoulder. "I can't-I can't loose another one…Pikachu…Pikachu!"

Images flashed through Misty's mind. Ash on the battle field, facing off against Gary. The two rivals battling fiercely, each with a determined grin on his face. They both wanted to be the Champion, badly. Pikachu, fighting his hardest-fighting for his trainer, his friend. Umbreon, summoning enough energy for one last hyper beam. The moment when they all realized what had happened. When they didn't see the yellow body struggle to get up. The second Ash tore out onto the field. Ash cradling the mouse in his arms. The scream that ripped through her heart as his head fell back and time seemed to stop.

Misty tried to sooth Ash, whispering a stream of comforting noises into his ear. She didn't bother trying to tell him it would be alright.

She didn't know how it could ever be alright.

* * *

_Sooooo...the Calcium pill that Ash was trying to make his pokemon take is like the Calcium in the pokemon gamboy games...I had read somewhere about how "awful" pokemon was because you made these creatures fight each other and you gave them drugs like Calcium, Zinc, and Protein xD I thought it was hilarious, and it was the first thing I thought of when I was trying to write a story using "Calcium" so...yeah. That's where this oneshot came from ^^;  
_


	4. Dainty

_Thanks to my beta Elmo-kibafangirl11 for editing this! And thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far! Your reviews always motivate me to write more!_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own pokemon...yet._  
_

* * *

Dainty

**Ash's POV**

Thank Ho-oh they were born today.

I swear, it was almost like _she _was the pregnant one, not her pokemon! Mood swings, hot flashes, weird sleeping patterns—she had the works. Her normally hot temper grew into a full inferno during these past few weeks. I was stupid enough to tell her _she _could have been the expecting mother what with the weight gain and pissy attitude. I had to spend the rest of the day patching up the hole in the wall my head made when she threw me at it.

Seriously, I'm not exaggerating at all!

After that little…incident….I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut and stay outta Misty's way for the rest of the week. Luckily, she spent most of her time in the downstairs aquariums, so I just hung out in the den.

But I don't hafta hide out anymore! Daisy's luvdisc finally had her babies, and Misty's in the gooey-sappy-happy-mode that all women seem to go into when they come in contact with babies. Hehe, I gotta admit though. These baby luvdisc are pretty cute.

Right now I'm with Misty at the edge of one of the smaller tanks the Cerulean Gym has. Caserin and Daisy's luvdisc Luverin have brought their new children up to the surface for Misty to inspect and coo over. Luverin hovers around her children, cautious and loving, while Caserin looks on proudly. I'm excited; Misty and I have been waiting impatiently for the past few days for the babies to be born.

I find my attention drifting from the pokemon to Misty. Namely, to her hands. They look pearly white in the water, a stark contrast from the glowing pink of the luvdisc. They weave back and forth, brushing against the pokemon's scales and lightly touching their beaky noses. Every once in a while they curl around a baby, and a giggle comes from her mouth as the luvdisc butts its tiny head against the fleshy barrier.

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with her hands all of a sudden. It's just…really weird! Because these hands don't seem to belong to my friend. These hands are soft and careful when they play with the baby pokemon. They move slowly, touch gently, and look like they're transmitting the love I know is over flowing from her heart right now. They're _dainty_.

These can not be same hands that threw me into a wall just three days ago.

These are not the hands she used to yank my ear when I told her I had never met any pretty girls. They are not the fingers that pulled at my cheeks when I made the mistake of calling tentacool "weird, floating brain thingies." And they are most definitely not the same hands that grasp that mallet of hers which she uses on me on an almost daily basis.

But…I guess that makes sense. Having two different types of hands, that is. Because Misty can sorta be like two different people. Sometimes she's a total tomboy: gaming and roughhousing around with me, punching me when she looses. Then she's sweet and caring, like when she would give togepi a bath or when she laughs at me when I do something stupid. That's Misty: sweet and sour, good and evil, always ready to smack me and always has my back.

"Ash! Hey, space-case!" Misty's snapping her fingers in front of my face. I jerk back, away from the very thing I've been thinking about for the past few minutes. I turn to her, still a bit startled, to see her eying me oddly.

"You okay there?" She waves a hand back and forth. I must still look like I'm out of it. "Helllooo! Ashy boy! Anyone in there?"

Without thinking, I grab her hand. It's smooth and still a bit wet. I trail my fingers across hers, absentmindedly wondering if she uses lotion. She must since they'd get wrinkly from being in the water all day. Hmm. They're really very soft…and warm…and _what the heck am I doing?_

"Sorry!" I sort of gasp out, quickly dropping her hand. Damn it, I can feel my cheeks getting hot.

A quick peek shows that her face is pink too, for some reason. Misty's kinda staring at her hand, like it's something she's never seen before. Then her eyes flick back over to me.

"Um, uh, yeah. Your hands are really…smooth." I stutter out. Oh _mew _why am I telling her that? It sounds so creepy!

"Uh, thanks," she says, a small smile on her face. Good. So at least I won't get punched for being creepy.

"Yeah. So." I shift my gaze back to the baby luvdisc. "These guys are cute." I reach out to touch one, trying to hold it like she did.

"Not like that!" Misty snaps as the pokemon squirms in my grip. "You're holding it too tight!" She knocks my hand aside and the baby swims back to its mom, quivering by her side. "You need to be more gentle Ash!" Her other hand, predictably, smacks my head. "They were only born a few hours ago!"

"Sorry!" I lean away, cringing a bit.

She sighs. "I know you're excited, just, try not to be the clumsy goof you usually are." I decide to let this comment slide rather than risk getting shoved in the pool. Instead, I dip my hands back in the water, this time moving much slower.

"That's it," Misty coaches. Suddenly, her hands are covering mine. "Open them like this."

Hey fingers are tickling my palms, coaxing my hands into a bowl shape. I can't say anything. Little spots of warmth flare up on my skin where her fingertips press.

She carefully moves our hands towards the other babies, coming up from underneath one until its swimming around between my palms.

"There," Misty sighs happily. "Doesn't that feel cool?"

"Yeah," I breathe, thinking of something besides pokemon for the second time today. "Real cool."


	5. Earth

**Disclaimer: **Nope

_Thanks eggplantdance for being a beta for this story :)_

* * *

Earth

Sometimes, when she gets lonely, she packs a picnic basket and heads into the forest. It seems silly, going away from civilization in order to find some company. But the gym still echoes no matter how many pokemon there are, and the town is still full of strangers no matter how many people know the famous Sensational Sisters. And sometimes brownie ice cream and a chick flick won't soothe her soul like they usually do.

That's when she gets up early, packs a lunch and a few pokeballs, and tells Daisy that she's in charge of the gym for the day, running out the door before her older sister can protest. She'll grab her bike out of the storage room, faintly amused to see it's been in perfect condition for three years straight, and start pedaling down Route 11.

It's a quiet ride through Mount Moon and Pewter City. Some days she stops and chats with Brock's family for a moment or two, passing azurill among the younger children to coo over while she trades information with Mrs. Stone about how the boys are doing. Soon enough, she's back on the road. The Viridian Forest is less pleasant, but with azurill sitting shot gun and staryu at her back, no bugs dare come near her.

It's just past noon when she finally reaches the river. She opens up the picnic basket and divvies out lunch to her pokemon. Then she'll sit and watch the water for a while, slowly letting go of pressing issues like the mounds of paper work sitting on her desk and the emails regarding last month's meeting from league officials that need to be replied to. These problems fade away as the river gently forces everything but its gurgling aria from her mind.

The memories start coming back as she threads her fishing rod and attaches the lure. Her hook looks empty without Mini Misty, but her heart is a little fuller. She wonders if he's used it yet. She hopes whatever he catches with her lure is tough and won't put up with his denseness. There's nothing in this stream but magikarp (and the occasional rookie with a pikachu), and she really doesn't need another dimwitted pokemon (one headache is more than enough) but she'll still fish for an hour or so. Having something to do with her hands helps her drift off.

By the time afternoon rolls around, her fishing poll is put away, and she's not lonely anymore. She's lying flat on her back in the grass, arms flung out to either side and her face turned up to catch the last few rays of sun. She's said goodbye to the past and has started flirting with the present, trying to imagine what's happening on the other side of the world.

She feels the grass tickling her legs and imagines that he's walking now, trudging down some dirt road. She pretends that she can feel the earth shake slightly with each step he takes, the vibrations traveling from his soles to her chest. She pretends that the wind teasing her hair is also pulling at his hat, threatening to yank it off and expose his bed head to the world. She pretends that the thudding she hears in her ears is actually his heartbeat, syncing up in time with hers. She rolls onto her side and murmurs to the ground, pretending that her voice is being carried thousands of miles and he'll hear her no matter how soft she whispers.

When it's getting late, and she knows that her sisters will start to freak out if she doesn't start home right away (because who _else _is going to cook dinner?), she packs up her things and gets on her bike. The ride back always seems shorter than the ride there, but by now she doesn't mind going home. Sure, the gym might be empty most days, and yeah, her friends only stop by once a month (some of them once a year), but she's fine.

As long as she has days like these, when she can go back to the place they first met and remember. As long as they're still living on the same earth, sitting under the same sun, and staring up at the same sky. As long as she can still feel connected to him when she lies on the river bank, imagining that he too is sitting on some grassy slope and thinking of her.

She'll never be too lonely.

* * *

_The next oneshot will be up tomorrow!_


	6. Falkner

_The original word I recieved for the "F" prompt was "Faulkner," buuuuuut I had NO clue how I was going to work that into a pokeshipping story (because I believe my brother was referring to William Faulkner when he gave me "Faulkner" for "F"). So instead of using a famous American author as my prompt, I decided to go with a DIFFERENT Falkner :)_

_p.s. This oneshot is long on dialogue to make up for the extreme lack of it in the previous chapter  
_

**Disclaimer: **No. *cry*

_Thanks to Elmo-kibafangirl11-my amazing beta!_

* * *

Falkner

"Alright, who's the hottest guy you know?"

A green haired young woman slid into a seat across from her friend, adjusting her red headband. Her companion snorted and shifted her shoulders slightly, clearly more interested in the issue of Water Master's Weekly that was spread out in front of her than her guest. Erika sighed and tossed her bag to the ground, looking out at the streets of Cerulean from their table on the patio of _The Crawdaunt Café_.

"This is cute," Erika appraised, eyes shifting from the flowers in the center of the table, to the white umbrella spread out above them, and finally to the other people who occupied the outside tables. "Much nicer than I expected, but really, why would you name something _The Crawdaunt Café_?" She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Those pokemon are _hideous_."

"Yes, well, water pokemon _are _rather popular in this town," Misty pointed out drolly, wetting a finger and flipping to the next page in her magazine. "Can't for the life of me figure out _why_…"

"This is why you don't have a boyfriend," Erika informed her severely. "No boy likes a girl with a snippy attitude."

"If a boy can't handle my attitude, then I don't see why I should bother liking him in the first place, much less want him as a boyfriend," Misty said firmly. She sighed and looked up at her friend. "I thought we were going to have a nice lunch and catch up, not discuss my current relationship status and apparent 'problems' I have."

"Right, sorry." Erica took a moment to beckon over a waiter and order a drink. That done, she turned back to Misty. "So, dear, you never told me. Who's the hottest guy you know?"

"I dunno," Misty answered lazily. "I haven't exactly had time to go guy-watching what with being a gym leader and all…"

"Oh, don't even pull that 'I'm a gym leader so I'm always up to my ears in work' card with me." Erika flicked her hand dismissively. "Newsflash, I'm a gym leader too sweetie. And you have three other sisters who could be manning the gym while you get out and socialize every once in a while."

"Newsflash: if my sisters ran the gym, every ten year old with a pokemon that knows tackle would win a Cascade badge," Misty retorted. "And I'm out socializing with you, aren't I?"

"Fine, I can see you're just going to evade my question," Erika huffed, stirring her newly acquired lemonade furiously.

"Why do you even want to know who I think is hot?" The red head queried, half way curious about the sudden interrogation. "I thought you were crazy about that kid with the purple hair."

"I still _am _crazy about Bugsy!" The celadon leader assured her passionately. "He is without a doubt the cutest and sweetest man I have ever met!"

Misty shuddered and said, "Ugh, that guy trains bugs for a living Erika! Gross. And he is not a 'man.' He just turned nineteen." She raised her eyebrows. "Isn't he a bit young for you?"

"I'm not that old!" Erika snapped, smoothing over her kimono as if to reassure herself that yes, she was still young and beautiful. "Besides, neither of us cares about the _tiny _age difference!"

"Cut to the chase, Erika," Misty ordered. "Why the sudden onslaught of boy talk?"

"Because I have a date with Bugsy this Friday night," Erika blushed lightly and smiled happily, "and we both thought it would be more fun if we went out on a double date with you and someone else!"

Misty raised an eyebrow. "_We?_"

Erika rolled her eyes. "Fine. _I _suggested the double date idea. But Bugsy agreed whole heartedly! So now," the girl continued excitedly, "we just need to pick out your date!"

"Oh, joy," Misty muttered under her breath.

"Which brings us to what I originally asked you!" Erika raised her pointer finger. "I need you to tell me who you think is hot so we can call him up and get him to go on this double date with us! But," the leader leaned back in her chair, "I think it should be a gym leader."

"Why a gym leader?" Misty gave her friend her full attention. "Why can't it be a trainer, or even some random guy off the street that I think is cute?"

"Because," Erika explained patiently, "we're looking for possible long-term boyfriend material, not some guy you have dinner with once and then never see again. And there are multiple reasons why gym leaders are better boyfriend material than trainers or civilians. Gym leaders are always training, so they're always in shape and good looking. And they have to travel to meet with leaders from other regions, so they're worldly and have good connections. Plus, they can bring you back nice gifts!"

"But I don't need a long term boyfriend," Misty reminded her tiredly.

"You are too cute and too busy with the Cerulean gym _not _to need a boyfriend," Erika remonstrated. "You need to get out and have fun more Misty! And I'm sure there are tons of gym leaders who would leap at the chance to date you! So," she got a piece of paper and pen out of her purse, "let's make a list of all the available guys!"

"There's Blaine," Misty returned to leafing through her magazine, "and Pryce, Chuck, Koga, **Wattson-**"

"Try to be serious Misty," Erika cut her off with her sharp words and a glare. The older girl took a strong pull on her lemonade as if to fortify herself. "Okay, looking at the gym leaders who are _your age _and _not married_, there are actually quite a few attractive ones! What about Wallace?" she asked excitedly. "He's also a water trainer, and he's sooo dreamy!"

"Yeah. No." Misty said shortly. "One, he lives all the way in Hoenn, and two, I barely know him. That would be really weird to just call him up out of the blue and ask him to come all the way out here for a date with a girl he probably doesn't remember. Also, I really don't get why so many woman think he's attractive," she added. "He looks kinda…flashy and girlish to me."

"Fine." Erika crossed off a few names she had just written up. "No guys who live far away. Let's see…there's not many gym leaders in Kanto…Brock's really the only one who's your age and he's traveling right now." Erika looked up, and upon noticing Misty's glare hastily continued with, "And you're just friends anyways. That leaves us with the Johto leaders."

Misty grunted and shrugged her shoulders.

Erika took this as her cue to go on. "You could date Morty. He's a bit older, but he's super cool and mature. Those seem like traits you would like." Erika looked up hopefully. Getting no response from the red head, she kept talking. "Or not. Um…hey! What about Falkner?"

"Falkner?" Misty questioned, sounding interested. "I don't really remember him…"

"Oh, he'd be just perfect for you Misty!" Erika gushed excitedly. "He's the gym leader for Violet town, and he specializes in bird pokemon. Soooo it'd be no problem at all for him to fly out and visit you! And he's totally dedicated to what he does! Not _only _does he train intensively with his pokemon, but he also works out a lot. He loves his pokemon, finds time to spend with his family, and is greatly respected by the people of Violet. He's mature, sweet, and confident. And he's _hot._" Erika finished with a smug look.

Misty was quiet for a few minutes. Then she shook her head and said disbelievingly, "I don't know _why _you're dating Bugsy when you obviously think Falkner is the greatest thing since pokeblocks."

Erika let out a little cry of frustration. "I'm just trying to tell you how great he is!" She fumed. "_I _don't want to date him! I just think _you _should!"

Misty nibbled her lip as if she was mulling it over. "Mmm, nah," she decided. "I'm not interested."

"What?" Erika fairly screeched, breaking completely from her image as the calm, mature woman who ran the Celadon gym and enjoyed tending to flowers. "Why not? You're perfect for each other!"

"Hey." A young, dark haired man suddenly popped up behind Misty and swooped down to kiss her on the cheek.

"You're late." Misty went back to flicking through her magazine nonchalantly.

Ash groaned exasperatedly and slapped a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry! I just barely missed the 8 a.m. train and I had to wait for the 11 am one!"

"Mmm. Oh!" Misty turned around quickly and gripped the back of her seat, eyes lighting up in excitement. "Did you get me it?"

Ash rolled his eyes and dug a hand into his pocket. He brought out a necklace with a piece of purple sea glass attached to it and a couple of sea shells. "I'm going to stop getting you things if this is the only reason you want me to come visit," he told her with a scowl.

Misty smiled up at the bronzed face and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. "No, I like seeing you too," she assured him. "And of course I miss Pikachu!" She exclaimed, picking up the pokemon that had been nosing her fries and cuddling him to her cheek.

The grin returned to Ash's face as he said, "Good! Now, I'm starving so-oh cool look!" The boy did a complete 180, the chair he had been in the process of pulling out tumbling to the floor. "They have a recanith!" Ash darted over to the large tank at the center of the café and stared at the fossil-like fish in wonder.

"I swear," Misty sighed and shook her head, more bemused than annoyed. "That boy is never going to completely grow up. Hmm?" The water trainer turned to her friend, who had made a noise somewhere between a "what?" and a "guh."

"Buh, huh?" Erika stuttered, clearly perplexed by what she had just seen.

Misty giggled as Pikachu licked her fingers and scratched him on the head. "I like pokemon trainers over gym leaders." Misty winked mischievously at the other girl. "Ash gets really tan and fit from traveling, he meets all kinds of important people in other regions, and," Misty patted her newly acquired necklace, "he always remembers to bring me back something nice. Plus," her grin became a secretive, happy smile, "there's nothing to tie him down or keep him from coming back home whenever I call."


	7. Gallop

_...So apparently I DO have a social life. I also have a job, and recently my bff/twin flew out to spend a week with me :D So I've been vry busy...and vry lazy. Hehehehehehe...he. :-|_

_I have a very complicated relationship with the internet. It brings me awesome things like fanfiction and deviantart, but it makes me procrastinate over nine thousand times worse than normal D:_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own pokemon. Trust me, if I did, the show wouldn't be ending. _

**Warning: **Ahoy! Stupidity and unbeta-ed fic ahead me maties! (Sorry Elmo! I just had to post these quick _ *pleads for forgiveness*)

* * *

Gallop

"So, how'd you do it May?" Misty settled herself; legs crossed Indian style, in a chair adjacent to the couch and leaned forward eagerly.

"Do what?" May turned her attention from the pokemon battle on TV to her friend.

"Become an item with Drew? Yah know, becoming boyfriend and girlfriend? Was he romantic? Did he sweep you off your feet?"

"Well, I'm leaving." Drew stood and gently untangled his hand from May's before shoving both into his pockets, trying to appear cool and uncaring despite the awkwardness that was radiating from him. "Ash," he turned to the other male in the room, "wanna go to the Professor's or something? I feel that it would be," he paused, searching for the right word, "_prudent_ for us to not be present for the ensuing conversation."

Misty snorted. "Prudent for who?" She asked.

"Both parties, most likely," Drew answered civilly. "Coming, Ketchum?"

"Huh?" Ash didn't even glance up from the fierce battle between a garchomp and nuzuleaf on the TV as he mumbled, "Um, yeah…okay. I'm going to…stay…Aw man!" Ash sat back and ran a hand through his hair excitedly. "Did you see that? What a combo! Using bullet seed as a cover up for a faint attack…"

"Okay," Drew said slowly, drawing out the word. Ash probably wouldn't realize there were other people still in the room as long as the battle was going on, much less listen to what they were talking about. The green haired youth flicked his bangs out of his eyes, threw a suggestive smirk at May, and went to go see what new project Gary was working on with his grandfather.

Misty followed Drew with her eyes, keeping silent until the coordinator had left the room. When the front door slammed closed with a resolute _wham_, Misty turned her attention back to May and immediately started questioning her.

"So how long has it been since you've official become a couple? When did you first start liking him _that_ way? Did he give any signals that he was interested in you too? Did you confess to him, or did he confess to you first? Did you guys just kinda unanimously decide to start dating, or did you have to talk it out? You've already kissed, right? Did he kiss you when he told you he liked you?"

May pressed back against the arm of the couch, clutching a throw pillow to her chest tightly as if to ward off the barrage of questions. "Um, well…" May stammered, unsure of how to begin and how much detail she was willing to share with the demanding red head. "Ah…I guess…I guess we've been dating for about a month or so now…"

Misty nodded and said, "Mmm," as if she had already known this. When she didn't say anything else and simply continued to stare expectantly at May, the other girl started talking again.

"So…I suppose I first started liking him when…ummm…actually…I don't really know when I started liking him." May squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Even though she and Drew had been dating for a while now, it was still a little embarrassing to talk about this stuff. The reason she and Drew had decided to accept Ash's invitation to hang out at his house for a while was to avoid seeing both of their parents and the extensive interrogations they would no doubt receive thanks to their new 'together' status. May hadn't considered that she might get the same treatment from her friends, let alone Misty.

"You can't think of anything?" Misty asked, sounding slightly put out and disbelieving at the same time.

"Well…there was one time." May colored upon recollection of the event. "We were in a pokemon center, and we had just finished a really nice dinner and a lovely dessert of chocolate dipped strawberries. He had been rather nice throughout the whole meal, besides the usual snide remarks, and then before we went to bed…I guess I still had some chocolate on my cheek…and he umm…" May snuck a quick peek at Ash, confirming that he was still absorbed in the pokemon battle on TV before whispering quickly, "he licked the chocolate off my cheek."

"Really?" Misty gasped delightedly. "Wow! What was that like?"

"Um…nice I guess," May said distractedly, trying to think of something else to say in order to get off the embarrassing subject. "But um, I kinda guessed after that and a few more…instances…that Drew liked me. I finally sorta just yelled at him." May picked at the fringe on the pillow, unable to meet Misty's eyes. "I told him that either he could be my boyfriend and…well…'tease' me all the time, or he could bug off."

The brunette stopped plucking for a moment to gauge her friend's reaction. Misty was staring at her, head cradled between her hands and elbows resting on her folded legs. The gym leader seemed to be mulling over what she had just been told.

"I guess that's pretty cool," Misty said decisively. "I mean, the chocolate made it kinda romantic and all, and he was totally hitting on you and trying to be all suave…But you didn't put up with his dilly-dallying either…" she trailed off, staring into space. "That's not such a bad way I guess…"

"What do you mean 'not such a bad way'?" May asked, feeling slightly defensive.

"Of becoming a couple," Misty mused. She seemed to realize what she had insinuated and added hastily, "not that I'm saying how you and Drew hooked up was bad, or wrong in any way! It's just different from what I imagine!"

May was instantly put at ease. "So how do you imagine getting a boyfriend?" She smiled and looked suggestively at the boy still glued to the TV.

Misty blushed but said loftily, "Oh, some wonderful and romantic way of course!" She put her hands on her cheeks and closed her eyes. "My prince will come to me with a bouquet of flowers and a poem proclaiming his love for me flowing from his lips. He'll say he's been in love with me forever and that I'm the only one for him. Then I'll confess my undying love for him and swoon gracefully into his arms. And then we'll get on his noble steed so we gallop off into the sunset and live happily ever after!

May blinked twice and then quickly covered her mouth with a hand, trying desperately not to laugh.

Misty half opened one eye, saw that May was shaking with silent giggles, and gave a "humpf" of annoyance. "Well I know it's not likely to happen," Misty snapped, shooting a glare at the oblivious Ash. "But I can dream can't I?"

"Mmm, I'm sorry Misty," May sobered quickly. "I just think…you'll be lucky if your 'prince' can find his way to you without a little help. You could always be the heroine of the story and take the lead," she suggested.

"Yeah," Misty muttered, looking at her toes. "I just wish it wouldn't have to come to that."

May smiled sympathetically. "He'll come to his senses one of these days," she said reassuringly.

"Who will come to his senses one of these days?" Ash was standing in front of them, looking from one girl to the other. The battle was apparently over.

Misty flicked her fingers at him dismissively. "No one Ash. Don't bother wasting the precious few brain cells you have left trying to figure it out."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm gonna go visit with my pokemon at the Professor's." He started to leave the room, but at the last second he turned and smirked at the red head. "Oh, and Misty? Good luck finding some guy who's so sappy that he'll write you poetry and ride off with you into the sunset."

Misty stared at him, mouth hanging open in horror. "Wha-" she croaked. "What, no, you were supposed to-gah!" Her eyes flashed and a pillow was suddenly soaring through the air, right towards Ash's face. "You JERK!"

The sound of laughter and the disappointing thump of the pillow against the wall was the last the girls heard of Ash. Misty slumped in her chair, hurt and annoyed at herself. Just how much had Ash heard? And how dare he make fun of dreams! Did that mean that…

"I'm going upstairs," Misty huffed, hoping May didn't notice how glassy her eyes were as she stalked past her friend.

"Misty! Hey, open the door! There's something important I need to show you!"

"Hmm?" Misty lifted her head from the pillow it had been buried in. She sighed, groping for the hair tie she had flung on the floor sometime during her moping session.

"Misty! I promise you'll really like this!" May called again.

"M'coming!" Misty mumbled, stumbling off the bed and over to the door. She opened the door and was immediately dragged out and down the hallway by an excited brunette. "May, whoa, May!" Misty said. "Slow down! What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" May laughed. "You just really need to see this!"

Misty smiled weakly and followed her friend. "She's probably just trying to cheer me up," the water trainer thought to herself. "Which is nice of her, but really, there's not much she can do. And I'll be fine…as soon as I give Ash a lump or two on the head…"

"Go go go!" May ordered, practically shoving Misty out the front door and down the Ketchum's walkway to the main road.

"Alright, seriously May. What's going on?" Misty glanced about her, seeing nothing but Delia's vegetable garden and the mailbox.

Just as she finished speaking though, the ground began to rumble. Misty took a step back, looking up and down the road but still seeing nothing. "Maaaayyyy," Misty said uncertainly. "What's going on?" She turned around, but May had disappeared.

A loud bellow brought Misty's attention back to the road. A large shape had appeared on the horizon. Misty squinted at it, trying to discern what it was. The figure got bigger quickly; it was obviously moving very fast. Misty hesitantly took a few steps forward, a little afraid and very much confused.

"A…tauros?" The word was barely off her tongue before the pokemon itself was at her side. Misty was frozen in place, only able to gawk at the hulking beast and the rider perched awkwardly on its back. She had but a moment to stare, however, before a hand was thrust in her face. Misty instinctively took the offered hand and was pulled upwards with surprising force. The thought, "When did Ash get these sexy muscles?" flashed through her mind.

And then she was surrounded by warmth and bouncing down the road on the back of a tauros.

"So." The word reverberated in her breast and her ears. "Is this good enough?"

Misty looked up into Ash's hopeful, blushing face. "I-what-you-this-what the heck?" She sputtered.

"You're the one who said you wanted a prince on a noble steed to come sweep you away!" Ash told her indignantly. "I'm just doing what you said!"

"Well," Misty's mind was still trying to grasp the situation. "this—this isn't what I meant! We're not on a noble steed, we're riding a tauros! And you didn't read me any poetry or proclaim your love for me!" She was blushing and extremely flustered, but it was hard to concentrate on what she was saying and stay on the tauros at the same time. Was Ash trying to do what she thought he was? Or was this just some sick joke of his?

"Fine!" He yelled, tightening his arms around her as he yanked back on the reins, slowing their sprint to marginally slower pace. "Fine! Roses are red, and um, violets are blue. You're a silly-romantic-abusive-stubborn girl but I still love you!"

First came the tears, much to her embarrassment. Then came the fluttering heart, the unbridled joy, and the intense relief. With a multitude of emotions running through her, the only thing Misty could do was lean back onto Ash's chest and laugh.

And they galloped into the sunset, living happily ever after.


	8. Hooligan

_It's shorter than Gallop, but I like it soooo much better. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own POKIE-MAN! T^T_  
_

* * *

Hooligan

Misty smiled happily to herself as she swung open the Ketchum's front gate and started up the walkway. She was glad that she had been able to convince Daisy to take care of the gym for a few days. It had been forever since she'd been able to spend some quality time with her boyfriend. Misty sighed and felt a little surge of delight at the word 'boyfriend.' The stupid and dense kid she had met so long ago had come a long way. He was now an accomplished pokemon trainer and, dare she say it, a _very _fine young man. Yes, he had certainly grown up since then…

The slamming of a door jerked her roughly from her thoughts. "Misty!" Ash came tearing towards her, the joy in his voice echoed by the smile on his face.

"Ash!" Misty laughed. "I'm happy to see you too, but you don't need to run that-_fast!" _Misty shrieked as Ash scooped her into his arms bridal style without breaking stride. She quickly latched her arms around his neck, fearful that he would trip and they would have an unpleasant meeting with the ground.

"Ash!" Misty yelled at him, annoyed and startled by his abrupt actions. "What the hell is going on?"

"Sorry Mist," Ash panted, "but we gotta get outta here quick! Mr. Mime's on the warpath!"

"What? But Mr. Mime is one of the nicest pokemon we know! Why would he be chasing you?" Misty voiced her disbelief while cautiously peaking over Ash's shoulder. Sure enough, the pantomime pokemon was sprinting after them, a broom in one hand and a plunger in the other. The girl shuddered when she saw the murderous glint in his eyes.

"Why would Mr. Mime…? Wait," Misty faced Ash and scowled at him. "Ash Ketchum! What did you do to that poor pokemon?"

"I didn't do anything!" Ash defended himself, looking outraged at her insinuation. Misty's glare hardened, and she viciously yanked on a lock of his hair. "Ow! Fine! I may or may not glued all the feathers in the duster together, an' I could possibly be the one who switched the cleaning solution with maple syrup when Mr. Mime wasn't looking," Ash said in a rush.

Misty rolled her eyes and gave Ash's hair another tug. "Idiot!" She chastised him. "Why would you do that?"

Ash shook his head to dislodge Misty's hand. "I was bored!" He whined. "You weren't here yet, and there was nothing good on TV! Oh, crap." Ash glanced back and saw that Mr. Mime was gaining on them. He started running back towards the house and around the side.

"Oh Ash," Misty mumbled, torn between being highly amused and seriously annoyed. For the time being she rested her head on his chest and enjoyed listening to his rapid heartbeats while his arms hugged her close.

After a minute, Misty felt herself being tossed upwards. She opened her eyes just in time to grab the rope ladder that appeared in front of her.

"Quick! Climb up!" Ash instructed, dancing around anxiously behind her.

Misty scrambled up the ladder, Ash hot on her heels. The two made it up onto a small platform in the trees just as the broom wielding Mr. Mime caught up to them. The bristly weapon couldn't reach them from the ground, and Ash had hauled the ladder up after him.

"I told you having a tree fort would come in handy some day," Ash said smugly as he watched Mr. Mime futilely swing the cleaning product about.

Misty sighed. "And here I thought that you were becoming more mature. I guess you're still the same hooligan I pulled out of the river eight years ago."

Ash gave her a wide grin and leaned over to kiss her soundly on the lips. "Mmm, but I'm _your_ hooligan," he mumbled against her cheek.


	9. Intersection

_Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! I've just gotten back from some "family-outings" and had to start in on the large amount of homework I still need to do in the remaining two weeks of summer vacation (D:), but I promise to get back to you all very soon! I really appreciate all the love and support these ficlets are getting :) You guys are awesome!_

_Thanks as always to my beta Elmokibafangirl11!_

**Disclaimer: **Is this still necessary? Really?_  
_

* * *

Intersection

"No, we're going this way!"

"No way Ketchum! We're going _that_ way!"

"If we go that way, we won't reach the town until _forever_! This way's a short cut."

Misty snorted. "A short cut? According to who? That's just some stantler path that leads into a _dark, creepy looking forest_! There will be yucky bugs _everywhere!_"

"You and your bug issues." Ash rolled his eyes. "Come on Misty, you're fifteen and one glimpse of a caterpie _still _freaks you out! Shouldn't you have grown outta that by now?"

"Well excuse me Mr. I'm-so-mature!" Misty snarled, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "At least _I _don't cry like a baby when I don't win a battle!"

"I do _not_ cry when I lose!" Ash snarled back.

"Well you cry so much I'm surprised you don't!" Misty said viciously.

"Take that back! You're such a liar!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I can't believe they're doing this," Brock groaned. He was perched on a rock, several feet away from the shouting teenagers. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed loudly. "Actually, I can believe it. This is Ash and Misty, they always argue like two five year olds."

"Pikachu," Pikachu sighed, coming to sit next to him. All of the yelling his trainer and the girl were doing was starting to hurt his ears. If he hadn't just finished a particular tough battle against an exeggecutor, then both of them would have gotten a taste of his thunderbolt. As it was…

"This is so stupid," Brock said dully. "How do they even have enough energy to fight like this? I swear, this is the fifth tiff they've had today." The breeder watched his friends bicker for a moment more before saying decisively, "It's probably just sexual tension."

"Chaaa," Pikachu agreed, twitching his ears.

"One of us should just go up to them and push'em together," Brock drawled, a small smile on his face at the mental image. "That would be amusing, _and _it would shut them up."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed again, stretching out on the rock so the sun could warm him up.

"Mmm." Brock didn't move either. He fell back and spread out on the rock beside Pikachu. "Well, I'm too lazy right now to do anything. I guess they'll have to deal with their repressed feelings for a little bit longer."

"Fine!" Ash threw his hands up in the air. "Fine! You know what? I'll prove how much more mature I am. We'll go _your_ way. See? Maturity! Come on Pikachu, Brock." Ash grabbed Misty's hand and started towing her down the well trodden road.

"This is new," Brock said, amused. He picked up his pack and followed after his friends, Pikachu racing past him to catch up with Ash. The breeder was surprised not only that Ash had given in to Misty, but also that she wasn't gloating about having won. Until he looked down and saw their hands.

Brock grinned. No wonder Misty hadn't said anything. Her eyes were fixed on the hand that firmly gripped her own. Brock saw her stare blankly at their hands before her lips twitched into a small smile. The older boy rolled his eyes but kept silent.

He noted that it wasn't until the next intersection, and the next argument, that Ash thought to let go of Misty's hand.


	10. Just

_I think double posts are starting to become a tradition with this story..._

* * *

Just

It's one of _those_ nights again.

It's when I hit the couch with my two best friends Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry, a chick flick, an extremely snuggily blanket, and the intention of rotting my brain and filling my stomach with crap. For about an hour and forty eight minutes I'm able to distract myself with the sugary substance seated in my lap and the sappy romance that's playing before my eyes.

But every clichéd movie must come to an end. A happy, tear filed, man-I-didn't-see-_that-_one-coming ending but an ending none the less. It's usually about the time my spoon scrapes the bottom of the container and when the fluffy blanket gets too hot. It's when all the shit that's piled up over the last couple of weeks crawls out from under the tight lid I've kept on it and starts up my tear ducts.

This happens from time to time. I pride myself on being a tough girl. _I'm _not the one who complains about all the paper work that has to be filled out. _I'm _not the one who grumbles about having to get up at six everyday to get the chores done. _I'm _not some sissy who tears up when things don't turn out as planned.

But I'm not an emotionless rock either. I'm a seventeen year old girl who has to run a gym, keep house, train pokemon, go to League meetings, and try to work in some sort of a social life so I can keep the few friends who come visit me. Things pile up, the house becomes a jumpig sty, and I'm levied with more responsibility and expectations than I can handle.

Today was not a good day. It seemed like everything just fell apart. First, my alarm clock didn't go off until nine am. Apparently, Lily could hear my alarm from her room, and it had been interrupting her beauty sleep for the past couple of days. She couldn't understand why I was "more pissy than usual" even after I explained that her need for "beauty sleep" had made me miss an eight o'clock meeting with League officials for more funding for the gym. Then psyduck decided it would be a great idea to follow me around while I tried to paint the arena. How he managed to trip and knock over the paint buckets so they managed to roll more than fifty feet into the pool, I'll never know. I _do _know it took me the rest of the afternoon to get all the pokemon out, empty the pool, pour in new water, and get the pokemon situated again.

Finally, I found out that my sisters had left to go to some movie premiere that evening (apparently Daisy knew the lead). Which would be no problem, except it was _their _night to cook and they left me _nothing_. The only thing in our cupboards was canned chicken noodle soup. Canned soup, fine, I can deal with that. Except the oven timer didn't go off, and instead of a loud beep I got the sound of a pot boiling over to let me know when my dinner was ready. I didn't even know you could burn soup!

But the universe wasn't done screwing with me. I took one sip of my stupid soup and immediately spat it back out.

Yep. There were carrots in there.

Thank Mew I was able to find some ice cream, otherwise the gym might not have been standing by the time my sisters came back. I doubt they'll notice the dent in the counter and the bent spoon.

But now the ice cream is gone, and the movie is over, and I'm left here with a runny nose and eyes that won't stop leaking. I have a pillow in my arms that I'm hugging with all my might but it's just not doing anything for me. I glare sullenly at the credits rolling on the screen. Stupid movie heroines who get to be comforted by stupid hot guys. I need some comfort! Where's my stupid hot guy?

"Misty!" A cheery voice calls to me from down the hall. "Hey, Mist! Guess what? I got back early! Haha, I guess that's kinda obvious since I'm here and all now but…yeah I got done a couple days earlier than I thought I would in Sinnoh so I thought I might surprise you and…oh…"

Screw you, I think as I stare towards the ceiling and the higher powers at be. I didn't _actually_ want someone to show up and see me like this! I have puffy, blood shot eyes, my hair is speckled with dried paint, and my nose is running like a ponyta that got stung by a beedrill. And you send me _Ash_ of all people? Dear Ho-oh you're cruel.

"Hey, um…Misty you okay?" Ash cautiously sits down on the far end of the couch. It looks like he's debating whether he should come closer or scamper out the door and pretend he never came here. I'm half heartedly hoping he chooses the later.

"Um…did, uh…something happen? Misty?" A tentative hand brushes my arm. I shiver at the brief touch.

Suddenly, I can't hold it in anymore. I want to be like those stupid heroines hugging a stupid hot guy. I spring across the couch, quickly closing the distance between us, and wrap my arms around Ash's neck. My body practically collapses on him, and I think I almost pushed him over. His hands are hovering awkwardly at my sides, unsure of where to go as I sob into his neck.

"Uh, uh, M-misty?" He sounds so bewildered, and a little bit afraid. I usually don't do stuff like this. I'm usually too shy to initiate any kind of physical contact. But I'm tired of keeping stuff in, and I need something warm and breathing to hold onto.

"Just," I manage to get out, quelling the tide of tears. "Just…just," I mumble into his shirt, snuggling against his shoulder. He feels so real, so solid, so _comforting_. I pull my arms tighter around him. "Just let me do this. Please. I just really need someone to hug right now."

He doesn't say anything, do anything for a moment. Then I feel arms wrap around my back and a cheek brush against my head and the steady thrum of his heart speeds up a bit. I nuzzle into the crook of his neck, delighting in the soft fabric of his t-shirt and the distinct scent he has that tickles my nose and warms my heart. I can feel his hand rubbing small, uncertain circles into my back. He doesn't speak, doesn't try to offer words of comfort or advice. He doesn't pry, doesn't ask me what went wrong. He's just…there, letting me cling to him and hugging me back. Being my stupid hot guy.

Just like I wanted.

* * *

_This prompt was originally "Jewish," but all I could think of for Jewish was the scene from Spaceballs where Lonestar complains that Princess Vespa is a "Druish princess" which is supposed to be like a parody of the term "Jewish princess" which wikipedia tells me is_ "a pejorative characterization of a subtype of Jewish-American female. The term implies materialistic and selfish tendencies, attributed to a pampered or wealthy background"_ SO I didn't want to unintentionally offend anyone and it's REALLY hard to mix religion with pokemon and now I'm just babbling. I bet very few of you have even watched Spaceballs. Yep. I'm just going to stop now._


	11. Knack

Wow you guys. It's been a wicked long time since I've submitted a story/been on fanfiction :( Which is extremely sad face, because I've been getting all these AWESOME favorite and review alerts from all my lovely readers :') I've missed you all, and I've missed writing AAML! I actually have a legit excuse for my extended absence this time though. Senior year is turning out to be a lot more stressful and strenuous than I thought :-| Despite the tons of work I have to put into them, I really like all my classes. Except for AP Calculus _ I constantly ask myself WHY I decided to take that class when I have NO interest in doing ANY type of math major or job in the future. *Sigh* And I have to write all these essays and fill out forms for college applications T_T So once I get all my apps in, I may have more time to indulge in my fanfiction craving :)

ENOUGH OF MY WHINING! You didn't come to listen to me gripe about school I'm sure. On to the AAML :) A word of warning though, these are a bit rough. I just wanted to get them published to assuage some of my guilt...but hey-it's a double post again! :D

**This is dedicated to all of the wonderful people who read, review, and favorite my stories 3**

_This story is all dialogue and flicks back and forth between Ash and Misty. Hopefully it's not _too _confusing._

* * *

**Knack**

"Oh crap, no. No, no, no, NO! Wahhh! Stop it! Geez if you'd just-gah no stop for one second! Wait, what, no! Arrrg, not again!"

"Haha, eat it Ashy-boy!"

"You suck. Can't you just stop shooting me for like two seconds?"

"Nope, I think my finger's been permanently glued to the trigger button."

"How the hell'd you get the shotgun anyways?"

"It's in that place."

"What place?"

"You know, the place with those boxes and that thingy by the door...and there's that symbol on the wall...it's under that other weird place and by the big tower."

"Oh, that one. Wait, I forget how to get there!"

"Not my problem Ash."

...

...

"Okay, you are so screen looking!"

"I am _not_!"

"You _must _be because I had no clue you were behind me, then all of a sudden I've got a freaking plasma grenade stuck to me!"

"You need to start looking at your radar, Ash."

"My what?"

"You radar! It's that bluish circle in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. Red dots will appear on there when an enemy's nearby."

"Oh...well you were still screen looking."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was _too_."

"Was _not-_What the hell! Wait, no! Where the hell did you come from?"

"Weren't you checking your radar Misty?"

"Oh Mew, you got the jet pack didn't you?"

"Hellz yeah I did."

"...damn you. You better hide Ashy because as soon as I'm revived I'm coming to get you, and I'm bringing the rocket launcher."

"...oh sweet Ho-oh."

...

...

"Ha! Gotcha Mist! Hey-wait, I've pumped you full of needler bullets. Why aren't you dead yet? Just. Die. Already! Gah!"

"Melee attacks won't work Ash! Cause' I'mmmmmm RIGHT BEHIND YOU MUWAHAHAH!"

"WAHH! Arceus Misty, what the-how did you-I mean you were there and then-guuhhhh! This is so annoying!"

"It's called a holograph, and don't throw your controller on the ground Ash. I don't want to have to pay for a new one."

"This game is stupid."

"You're just mad that you're not good at it."

"Don't poke me! And I am totally justified in my frustration! You have like fifteen kills and I have...negative one! How the hell did I get _negative _one?"

"I think you must have fallen off the map a couple of times."

"Well they shouldn't make the towers so high! And you shouldn't even be able to fall to your death! This is stupid. And rigged."

"Hmp. Just imagine if we were playing slayer on xbox live with tons of other gamers."

"You're such a nerd. That's why you're so good at this."

"I suppose I just have a knack for FPS games; one of my many talents."

"Whatever, let's go battle. A _real _battle: one with pokemon and strategy and _me _winning."

"Aw, does poor Ashy-boy need a hug?"

"No! I'm fine I just-gahhh Misty! Stop strangling me!"

"Come on Ashley, let's go battle so I can whoop your butt at that too."

* * *

Sohohoho, anyone else played Halo Reach? :) I played it when I visited my brother a few weeks ago, and it was really fun. And frustrating _ The jet pack and hologram equipment pieces you can use are awesome, but it's really hard to play against guys who game 24/7 when I probably play a couple times a month ^^;; Ah well...I just figured Misty would be good at video games for some reason, and of course Ash would find that annoying ;)


	12. Lies

This one's a bit darker...or at least more serious than the last. Once again, pardon the roughness. I'm being especially lazy right now.

* * *

**Lies**

I hate it when people lie to me. It's happened a countless number times. Part of it is my fault, I know.

I hate how easily I can be duped.

I mean, Team Rocket fools me at least once a week! It used to be everyday. They'd pop up in some custom and convince me that they were really just a pair of reporters, day care assistants, talent scouts, shop keepers, whatever! Hook, line and sinker: they would catch me every time. I would hand over pikachu, they would reveal themselves a second later like the idiots they are, and I would be left looking like an even bigger idiot.

'Cause I was the one who believed their stupid charades.

For four years the same pattern would continue. Finally, about a year ago, I started to get a clue. I started to really look at the overly-gregarious people who would sidle up to me. I began to look beneath the layers of makeup and decorative scarves. I don't trust people as easily anymore, but on the up side Pikachu rarely gets nabbed.

I started looking at everyone like that. I mean, I started seeing people beyond what they appeared to be. That granny over there? Maybe she's some undercover Team Galactic agent who is carefully plotting the next step in taking over the world. That guy selling hot dogs? He's probably put some kind of poison in them that will paralyze everyone who eats one, leaving him free to steal their pokemon.

Okay, so maybe I'm not _that _paranoid. My imagination just gets the best of me sometimes…

But I'm not the dense little ten year old I was at the beginning of my journey either. I've started to notice things. About other people, and in turn about myself.

And one of those things is that I hate it when people lie to me. Especially when those people are my friends.

Little white lies aren't bad. Everyone tells those; I tell those. Did you put away your clothes sweetie? Uh, of course mom! But Ash, I thought you said you weren't coming home until next week. Surprise Misty!

It's the bigger ones. Like when I ask: Are you okay? …I'm fine. Why didn't you call me back? …Our electricity went out for some reason. What have you been doing? ….just stuff. The ones where I can _tell _the person is lying to me. It hurts, because I wonder why she feels the need to lie to me. Does she not trust me? Does she think I'm still a naïve kid that needs to be told to change his underwear everyday?

After being in the dark for so long, it's shocking to see just how much she hides.

But why does she _need _to hide? Haven't I always been a good friend? Haven't we been through thick and thin? Haven't I always been truthful with _her_?

I know there's something she's not telling me. I know it's something big. I'm mad at myself for having just realized it now. I'm mad that I haven't seen the furtive looks, the quick shifts in topics, and the evasive eyes these past few years. I know that she's been lying for a while. She's good at it. She's had practice.

But I've gotten practice too. I'm getting better at watching her out of the corner of my eye. And I think she knows. When I catch her staring and stare back, she strikes up a conversation with someone else. When she acts all huffy when we're around other girls, I raise a brow and she looks away. When she gives me vague answers, I snort softly in disbelief, and she at least has the decency to blush. But she still won't tell me what's wrong.

One day-no, someday soon I'm going to get her to tell me the truth. To tell me everything. Because I hate it when people lie. Especially when those people are my friends.

Especially when that person is Misty.

* * *

One more note :) Eggplantdance (or Codenamezimbabwe for those of you who know her on deviantart) and I are attending Another Anime Convention on the 16th (my birthday-yay!). If any of you are going to be there, look for two badass Team Aqua members strollin' around-that'll be us ;)

Happy early Halloween everyone!


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